Primary Navigation

Common & Uncommon Migraine Symptoms

migraine symptoms

Everyone is different and therefore it is not easy to pinpoint general migraine symptoms. These migraine symptoms are not exhaustive and you could have one or more of the ones mentioned below or you could have other ones as well. I have found that these migraine symptoms occur without fail when a migraine episode occurs.

ache

One of the clearest migraine symptoms. In my case, a faint pulsating pain begins on one side of my head above the eye and carries backward – usually the right side, but sometimes also on my left side. The pain will grow stronger over time and if I do nothing to immediately alleviate the migraine episode (See the following category: Alleviating your Migraine), the pulsating pain will become increasingly more painful. Often times, it feels as if the pain is originating from the area of the eye, even though that is not the case.

food sensitivity

I found that I was sensitive to certain foods. I would develop a severe migraine after 1-2 days of eating a particular food. In some causes my mouth would feel sticky and thick saliva would build up to the point where I felt like I had to throw up. I had no interest in eating, even if I had not had a meal all day.

nausea

A migraine symptom that may or may not occur every time. If the migraine is particularly strong and I do not alleviate the migraine episode immediately, I start to feel sick and a strange sensation in my stomach ensues. While there is a lot of information out there that says that you start to feel as if you are going to vomit, that is not the case for me. When I do feel sick, my appetite is completely gone. The body just does not feel right when this occurs and it does not help to sit or lie down.

fatigue

This migraine symptom occurs regularly. The night before the episode occurs, I usually feel more tired than normal, both physically and mentally. It is difficult to concentrate on any activity, like reading and even watching television. I just feel like I want to sleep. The next day, when the episode occurs, I continue feeling tired and less energetic.

sound sensitivity

This migraine symptom occurs sporadically. If the migraine episode is severe, about the only thing that I want to do is lie down and close my eyes in a quiet surrounding. If I increase the volume on the radio, the pulsating pain increases. When driving on the road, even the noise from the tires will sometimes increase the pulsating pain. Having the radio turned on is not an option.

These migraine symptoms tend to occur in most migraine sufferers. I usually get one or more of these but your case may be different.